"Bazooka Pants"

Posted 1/5/2017

Americans were not the only ones adept at coming up with field expedient solutions as the above picture shows. Above is a German Panzer wrecked during the Battle of the Bulge showing "Bazooka Pants." These "Pants" where an effort to prevent anti-tank rockets from disabling the vehicle, particularly the tracks. A Bazooka round hitting the metal mesh would cause the shaped explosive to denotate without coming in contact with the vital areas. Many German tank destroyers and tanks had metal skirts fitted to them to achieve the same results.

Rarely would one Bazooka round take out a single tank. One of the greatest risks to German Panzers was becoming disabled and then taken down piecemeal by multiple Bazooka teams or teams in concert with tank destroyers and armor.